Fishing sinker



W. L. SNAPPS FISHING SINKER April 15, 1952 Filed Oct. 25, 1950 W44 TEA L S/VA'PPS Patented Apr. 15, 1952 U ED PAT E FF ICE FI'SYI'ING SINKER} Walter-r19 Snaiips, Neah Bay, Wash. Kpp1iatl6iiGetolief 25, 1950, serialNo. 11921126 sol-aims; (01. 43-4438) 1; This invention relates to anovel f i'shing sinker especially adapted for use in trolling for large ame fish such as salmon and which is so con structed that the sinker maybe adjiistably an-= chored to the fishir'ig' line at" any desired distance above aleader swivel a manner to permitit to be released when a fish stri'kes sothat the sinker will thereafterslide downwardly along theline present invention is to provide a fishing sinker which may be so mounted on a fishing li'nein any desired positionflwi'th respect-- thereto for trolling and whichwill be released by a strike to slide toward the' leader swivel and whi'cnmay be flipped from theli'ne' by a flipping motion ofthfe rod and before the line-has been-reel'ediz'r sufii= ciently to bring thesink'er into proximitytb' the rod to thereby leave theline unham'p'eredi so" that the fisherman may enjoy the run pl'ayoffthefish;

A further object of the invention and the pri mary object thereof is to proyide'a sinker of the aforedescribed characterwhich maybe mounted on a fishin'gline to maintain eitherajfik'edposition with respect theretoor' to slide downwardly on the line afterast'rike and which sodis'posed" that the sinker maybe quickly and easily.dis'en aged from the lineby. the use o'fon'ehand as it approaches the rod tip thereby leat' in'g the" line unhampered and so thatthe'fishmaythereafter be played without dangerof' theliirebeingtom' from the fishs mouth bythewei'ght'ofthesinker;

The present invention is primarily' intended" and adapted for use in trolling forsalmonwhere it is frequently necessar to usesinker'sw'eighing as much as 14 oz. or 16 oz. in order to troll at av sufficient depth. UsuallYaftefhooking" a salmon it is possibleto nearly reel the salmon in after the first run is made by the fish andbefore the fish commences its second run: Accordingly; with the novel sinker comprising this invention",

when the salmon is substantiallyreeled in after 2: last runsufiicientlyso that the'fish can-bereadily boated.

Various other objects-and adyantag es o'fthe ifi venti'on willhereina-fter become morefully ap parentfromthe following description of the" drawing, illustrating" a presently preferred em: bod'ilnent thereof; and whereii-iz" Figure- 1 is a fragmentaryside eleya tional view showing aconventional fishing rfg' normallyem ployed in trolling forsalmbfi and with the- 1101 61 sinker shown applied thereto:

Figure 2 is an enlarged side-elevatiofial View, partly in section showing'the sinker' w a line applied thereto an f a position t6 permit-the sinker toslide readily thereoir andshowing"the line in dotted lines one positionreleasablyen gag-ed by the-sinker and" another position henreleasably engaged-theret'py;

Figureis a frontend elevational viewofthe sinker with the lineapplie'd thereto-and looking from left to ri'glitof Figure'zi I Figure 4 a cross sectional yiew" of the sinker taken substantially alongaplitzie as i'hdica'ted by" the line 44 of Figure 2; V

Figure 5 is atop=planyiewof the sinker;

Figure-'6 is side ei'evationm view thereof siiriflar to" Figure But-showing the" sinker erig'ag' 8* theline in a difiere'nt mannerto' perniit'thsin er be flipped from the" line blayiiie" a: fish;

Figure '1' is a rear" endeievatitnar view" 01 the sinker showing'the" line in two difiereh-t positions with respect thereto, and" I Figure-8 is a perspective view'of the'sinker.

Referring more specificall'yfto the drawing for the purpose of illustrating the various-appfications andlISeOf the novel fishing sinker, desi nettedgenerally 8" and comprising; the invention, a fishing rig" such as is utilized for salmon ing illustrated infF'ig'. 1- and" iiicliidesprefer" ably a wire fishing line's-which extends-from a" reel, not shown, of a fishing rod HT. The fishing rig also includes a wirel'ea'der Fl" to theoIitefend ofwhich is attached a" lure l-2' andwliicli' is provided" at its inner end with a smallle'ader's'wiyelf I3- towhich' is att'ached one end of a" length of cutty'hunk or similar" fishing line Hi the oppo ite end of which is attached b'y a smallnpper swiyel l5 to the-lower outer end of the wire-line 9.- 015 viously, if desired,,in lieu" of the 9an entire" line of cuttyhunk' or its equivalent could be"- ployed and in which. case the upper. swivel- (8- could be omitted". r

The novel fishing sinker 8" comprising'the in; vention and which is primarily intended for use" in trolling for salmon and other large game fish comprises an elongated body, designated generally I6 and which is preferably formed of lead and which may vary in size and weight up to a weight of as much as 16 oz. The sinker body I6 preferably has a substantially flat top surface I'I, substantially fiat parallel side walls l8 and I9 and a convexly rounded continuous bottom and ends which is preferably substantially semicircular, viewing the sinker from either side thereof, as seen in Figures 2 and 6. Accordingly, the rounded portion 28 constitutes not only the bottom of the sinker body but likewise its front end ZI and its rear end 22 since said rounded portion extends to and merges with the ends of the top surface I7. Further, the rounded bottom and end portions are likewise rounded transversely, as seen in Figures 3, 4, '7 and 8 to merge with the sides I8 and I9.

The side I9, constituting the left side of the sinker body I6 looking from front to rear thereof, is also provided with a recess 23 formed in the sinker body intermediate of its ends and which is partially formed in the side wall I9 and partially in the top surface IT, as clearly illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 for an important purpose, which will hereinafter be described and which performs a material function greatly increasing the utility of the sinker 8 and enabling it to be much more quickly disengaged from the line I4 than is possible with other sinkers intended to be used for the same purpose.

The sinker 8 is provided with a line engaging spring coil 24 which is disposed in advance of the forward end 2I of the sinker body and which is formed from the intermediate portion of a single strand of spring wire and composed of two convolutions which are normally disposed yieldably in side-by-side relationship and abutting engagement. One end 25 of said wire strand extends rearwardly from the top of the spring coil 24 and from one side thereof and the other end 26 extends upwardly and rearwardly from the opposite side of the bottom portion of the spring coil 24 and has its terminal 2! engaged over the end 25. The terminal portions of the ends 25 and 26 are embedded and anchored in the forward part of the'sinker body I6 for positioning the spring coil 24 forwardly of the end 2|, as clearly illustrated in Figures 2 and 8.

, A line engaging member, designated generally 28, preferably comprises a strand of relatively heavy gauge and substantially rigid wire having substantially parallel corresponding end portions 29 which are embedded in substantially upright positions in the sinker body I6 and which project upwardly from the top surface I'I, adjacent the left side I9 and which are inclined slightly upwardly and away from said side I9. Said end portions 29 are disposed adjacent the ends 2I and 22 of the sinker body and beyond the ends of the groove 23. The strand 28 includes a substantially straight intermediate portion 30 which is disposed above and substantially parallel to the top surface ll and longitudinally thereof and adjacent the side I8. Said strand 28 also includes complementary portions 3| which project from the ends of said intermediate portion 30 in diverging relationship and which extend upwardly in converging relationship to the upper portions of the ends 29 with which said portions 3| merge to form downwardly opening substantially V-shaped portions having rounded longitudinally aligned bight portions 32 for slidably engaging the line I4.

A line retaining member, designated generally 33 comprises a relatively heavy gauge strand of wire having a substantially straight intermediate portion 34 which is shorter than the straight intermediate portion 30 and which is disposed substantially thereabove and longitudinally of the sinker body I6. The strand forming the line retainer 33 is provided with complementary downwardly extending curved portions 35 which extend from the ends of said intermediate portion 34 downwardly toward the top surface I! and generally toward the side I9 and which extends into the sinker body I6, substantially in alignment with the ends 29 and have terminal portions thereof anchored in said sinker body, as illustrated in dotted lines in Figures 2 and 6. Said intermediate portion 34 is disposed substantially at the same level as the bight portions 32 and is laterally offset with respect thereto, as clearly illustrated in Figures 3, 4 and 7.

The sinker 8 is applied to the length of cuttyhunk I4 by passing a portion thereof under the intermediate portion 30 of the guide member 28 and then over the intermediate portion 34 of the line retaining member 33 so that spaced portions of the line I4 will engage in the downwardly opening bight portions 32 and will be held against disengagement therefrom by other portions of the line engaging the upper, convex edges of the ends 35, as clearly illustrated in Figure 4. With the sinker 8 thus mounted on the line l4, it will be readily apparent that said sinker is free to slide relatively to the line and accordingly will normally move toward its lower end or toward the leader swivel I3. The sinker 8 may be adjustably and releasably anchored at a predetermined point along the line I4 by engaging a portion of said line between the upper portions of the spring convolutions or jaws 24 as illustrated at Ma in Figure 2 so that the sinker 8 will be held against sliding movement relatively to the line I4 and may be positioned at any desired distance above the leader swivel [3. With the sinker thus disposed and with the rig used for trolling, when a fish strikes the lure I2 the sudden pull on the fishing line will cause the line l4 to be jerked out of engagement between the jaws or spring convolutions 24 since the drag on the line at the rod II) will resist the pull of the strike so that the pull above the sinker 8 will be initially on the portion of the line engaged between the spring jaws 24. Accordingly, the sinker 8 may then slide downwardly until it is stopped by engagement with the leader swivel I3 and the fish may be played and reeled in and the swivel I5 is sufiiciently small to pass through the rod guide so that the line can be reeled in up to the sinker 8. When this occurs after the first run of the fish and before commencement of the second run, the fisherman may hold the rod with one hand and by placing his thumb in the recess 23 and engage the thumb with the line I4 which is in the position as illustrated at I40 in Figure '7 and by sliding his thumb upwardly toward the retainer portion 34, may thumb the line over the line retainer 33 as illustrated by the arrows 36 in Figure 7 to cause the line to then assume the position as indicated at I4d in Figure 7, beneath the retainer 33 so that the sinker 8 may be quickly and easily disengaged from the line I4 by lifting it and moving it laterally to the right as seen in Figure 7, thereby enabling the sinker to be quickly and easily removed with the use of one hand and while the fish is held by the rod with the other hand. Thereafter, the fisherman is free to play the fish on subsequent runs without being hampered by the sinker and without danger of the lure being torn out of the fishs mouth by the weight of the sinker.

If the fisherman desires to maintain the sinker 8 in a predetermined position on the line [4 and so that it will not be released to slide relatively thereto when a fish strikes the lure l2, this can be accomplished by attaching the line 14 to the spring jaws in the manner as illustrated at 14b in Figure 2, instead of as previously described and as illustrated at Ma. In the position of Mb, the line is engaged between the jaws or convolutions 24 from beneath said jaws and in this position can only be disengaged therefrom by being pulled downwardly and away from the convolutions 24 so that a pull on the line 14 from the swivel end l5 could not disengage the line from the jaws or convolutions 24 thus assuring that the sinker will be maintained on the line in the position in which it is applied.

The line may also be initially engaged with the members 28 and 33, as illustrated at hid in Figure 7 after which another portion of the line is engaged by the jaws 24 in its initial position of Na. As previously described, when a fish strikes the lure the line It will be disengaged from the jaws 24 to slide downwardly to its dotted line position of Figure 1 in which position the sinker may be flipped from the line by a quick lateral jerk of the rod l0. However, in this manner of use the sinker will be lost but will afford the fisherman an opportunity to fully play the fish from the beginning without being hampered by the weight of the sinker.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention: a

1. A fishing sinker comprising an elongated sinker body having a top surface, a fish line engaging member having end portions anchored in the sinker body and including complementary, longitudinally spaced downwardly opening substantially inverted V-shaped portions disposed above the top surface of the sinker body and adapted to slidably engage a fishing line, said inverted V-shaped portions each including a leg terminating above and spaced from the top surface of the sinker body and adapted to provide therewith a passage for applying the fishing line to or removing it from the inverted V-shaped portions, and a line retaining member anchored in the sinker body and having corresponding curved legs extending upwardly therefrom across said inverted V-shaped portions and terminating adjacent the level of the top thereof and laterally spaced therefrom for releasably retaining the line in engagement with the downwardly opening inverted V-shaped portions for sliding movement with respect to the sinker.

2. A fishing sinker as in claim 1, said upwardly extending curved portions of the line retaining member being disposed between and spaced from said inverted V-shaped portions.

3. A fishing sinker as in claim 1, said upwardly extending curved portions of the line retaining member being disposed between and spaced from said inverted V-shaped portions, said line engaging member comprising a single strand of wire additionally including a substantially straight intermediate portion extending between and merging with complementary legs of the inverted V-shaped portions and disposed above and spaced from the top surface of the sinker body.

4. A fishing sinker as in claim 1, said upwardly extending curved portions of the line retaining member being disposed between and. spaced from said inverted V-shaped portions, said line engaging member comprising a single strand of wire additionally including a substantially straight intermediate portion extending between and merging with the complementary legs of the inverted V-shaped portionsand disposed above and spaced from the sinker body top surface, and said line retaining member being formed of a single strand of wire and including a substantially straight intermediate portion disposed above the sinker body and merging at its ends with the upper ends of said upwardly curved portions of the line retaining member, said intermediate portion of the line retaining member being disposed substantially above the intermediate portion of the line engaging memher.

5. A fishing sinker as in claim 1, said upwardly extending curved portions of the line retaining member being disposed between and spaced from said inverted V-shaped portions, said sinker body having a substantially upright side wall, said upwardly curved portions ofthe line retainer being curved in a direction away from said side wall, and said side wall and top surface having a common thumb receiving recess disposed between the upwardly curved line retainer portions adapted to receive the thumb for engaging the line between said line retainer portions for displacing the line laterally over the upper, outer ends thereof for releasing the line from the retaining member.

WALTER L. SN APPS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record-in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date v 2,135,847 Rosenquist Nov. 8, 1938 2,257,415 Gerdin Sept. 30. 1941 2,399,298 Sevegny Apr. 30,1946 2,470,995 Lesser May 24, 1949 

